Aquila
Today I want to focus on a guy named Aquila (Yes his name does sound a little feminine.) and his wife Priscilla. These two amazing individuals made a huge impact on the church. We see in Acts 18:1-3 that Paul met Aquila in Corinth where they worked together in the tent making business. We also see Aquila is a strong support person, maybe even an accountability partner for Paul. He was willing to stand by Paul’s side on one of his journeys and was someone that Paul valued and could rely on. Multiple times we hear Paul greet the couple and you can ialmost magine the strong relationship between them both. As I look at the character of Aquila I since that he was a great listener, someone easy to talk to. I’m not sure if you have ever had a person like this in your life before, but this type of person is loyal and he has the ability to help you clarify things in your life that may seem a little fuzzy.
One of the amazing aspects of Aquila is that he used his gift of teaching well. One day Aquila and his wife heard Apollos speak in the synagogue and they pulled Apollos to the side and gave him a Theology lesson. Many of us have heard people speak using Theology that was off. This guy (Aquila) was willing to pull Apollos to the side and share Biblical truth with him directly, instead of just being passive or talking behind Apollos’s back. What integrity we see here. I have seen many who have butchered an individual behind their back about what they had spoke on. This was not a man sharing opinions of scripture, but he was willing to speak with Appollos about Biblical truth and Apollos respected him enough to listen and heed his consoltation. What amazes me about Aquila is that he was secure enough in God’s Word and in himself to position himself to correct a leader. He didn’t allow thoughts of discouragement or rejection to control his mind. He valued helping a minister understand Biblical truth over the fear of rejection. (Apollos could have easily rejected Aquila.)
The last thing that we see in the life of Aquila and Priscilla is that they opened up their house to allow the church to gather there. Anyone who has started a church plant or even a small group in their home understands the value of a meeting place. If it were not for the gift of hospitality operating through these individuals many churches and lives may have never been transformed. I see three spiritual gifts operating through Aquila: teacher, mercy and hospitality. What gifts do you have that you are using to edify the church? What step can you take today to best use your giftings to be used to spread the gospel?
Faith, Love & Health 